Nigeria, May 25 -- A new French study has linked several common food preservatives used in store-bought foods to an increased risk of high blood pressure and cardiovascular diseases, raising fresh concerns about the health effects of additives commonly found in processed and ultra-processed foods.

The study, published in the European Heart Journal, found that people who consumed higher amounts of certain preservatives were more likely to develop hypertension, heart attacks and stroke over time.

Researchers analysed data from more than 112,000 participants enrolled in the NutriNet-Sante cohort, an ongoing French nutrition and health study that has tracked dietary habits since 2009.

The findings come as Nigeria continues to face a growin...